crzee8s

Hello,

This is my first post, but I figured I had to start somewhere with my research and thought this was a good spot to try.

I am looking at buying a used A8 L in the next couple months and had a few questions.... This car will be for my wife.

I currently drive an '03 A6 4.2, and before that a '96 A6 2.8. I feel very comfortable getting another used Audi with higher miles on it because I have had good experiences with both. The '96 went to 202k miles and I only got rid of it because of an accident (insurance ended up buying it), and the '03 currently has 134k miles and the only "real" problem I've had was with the CV joints.

I am looking at A8L between 60k-80k miles and see that the 2006 and 2007 models fall into this category. So my couple questions are...

1) Are there any model year changes I should be aware of between these two years?
2) Is the reliability of these models comparable to one another?

My wife will probably be putting about 12k miles a year on the car driving around the suburbs as a stay at home mom. I'd like to get about 8 years out of the car and was curious about recommendations between two model years.

I'm guessing the 2013 model year will be coming out soon too. Will this deflate the 2007 prices immediately, or does this not have much impact on the used market for higher end luxury vehicles?

Thanks so much for your help!
Greg

Hilden

Focus on solid history and right (for you) options instead of MY. Don´t think a new MY will make much difference either as long as we´re not talking about a new generation. With the D4 being as new as it is I think the D3 will hold decent value another 2-3 years until the D4 has become more affordable to the masses.

Search the forum for more info on YOY changes. There´s similar info probably on every page here. And good luck with the purchase

MP4.2+6.0

Suggest you try here first: https://www.audiworld.com/model/ Pull up the D3 by model year w/ all the specs, and the intro press release to help clue you in. Presto.

And/or here: https://forums.audiworld.com/search.php for more specifics as you wish.

Please let me know what you find; happy to provide pointers and help having been here since that MY change and bought in that timeframe, but really I think that starts with some minimal research first.

And yes, there are at least one very meaningful difference right off the bat. Your A6 4.2 experience may register here too.

subit0

I think the most significant difference is that the '07 has a timing chain vs. a timing belt in the '06. The timing belt is supposed to be replaced every 75k miles and can be a costly repair. Personally, that was a contributing factor in my selection of an '07. Both model years seem to be pretty solid in terms of failures, but given the choice, I would go for the newer one on general principle. However, if you find one optioned exactly how you want, then you won't likely go wrong with either year. Most importantly, get the vehicle that is in the best shape (and inspect vehicle service records).

crzee8s

Thank you guys so much for the helpful input. I know the timing belt is expensive to service, so perhaps the 2007 with the timing chain may make sense.

We aren't in a terribly big hurry, but have started looking. I just want to make sure we can pull the trigger if a car comes along with a clean record is to her liking.

I'll give some of these links a look!

Thanks,
Greg

bmwm750

While the 07-up avoid the timing chain service, I'd argue that there aren't enough of the FSI motors running around with higher mileage to write off concerns of the FSI causing its own set of heartaches. Talk to the A4 guys about the 2.0 TFSI motors.....

tbisaacs

Don't let the timing belt scare you off. It's seriously not a big deal to get replaced. My local indy shop did it for much less than the dealer.

I do believe that MY07 was the first year to get the backup cam.

ModestW12

Backup camera may be a highly desirable feature with these large cars depending of how well your wife parallel parks or even more so if you have toddlers that like to play behind A8's (parktronics doesn't always detect little ones).

07+ may also come with factory Audi Music Interface, which you can use to connect and control iphone/ipod or usb harddrive/flashdrive from the MMI screen/controls.

Of course you could get really lucky and find an 06 that had it retrofitted by the previous owner. Or if you won the D3 lottery you could find an 06 that had backup camera retrofitted as well.

subit0

AMI was introduced mid-way through the '07 model year, so it's about 50-50 that an '07 would have AMI.

jakematic

Having always driven luxobarges I thought "welllll, this Audi is no big deal !".

Parktronic and backup camera was something I really could have used on the D3.
Especially after backing into a curb for the second time in the same parking lot where I've been hundreds of times

My honest opinion is the D3 mirrors should have a warning that says "Blind spots may appear smaller than they are"

It can be enormously expensive to retrofit so if it's of any value to you it's something to consider.


As tbisaacs said don't be scared by the timing belt.
It's not cheap either way but can be a negotiating tool at purchase and sale time.